What should I do if my baby has white spots on his breasts?

White spots on baby's nipples is a problem that many parents often face when taking care of their babies. In fact, this phenomenon is not a big deal, it is just caused by maternal hormones during pregnancy. But if it is mastitis, you must not take it lightly. In addition, when caring for your baby, you must pay attention to keeping the nipples clean and dry, so as to reduce the occurrence of various abnormal phenomena!

What is the cause of white spots on the newborn's nipples?

There are small white spots on the baby's nipples after birth. This is caused by estrogen in the mother's body during pregnancy and has no effect on the child. In the past, the elderly liked to prick or squeeze the white spots with a needle, especially for girls, believing that girls’ nipples would not grow if they were not picked or squeezed. This statement has no scientific basis. Blindly squeezing white spots will cause local infection, which is harmful to the child's health. The correct approach is to ignore it and it will fall off naturally after a few months.

Parents should not take neonatal mastitis lightly

Many parents wonder how such a young baby can get mastitis? In fact, babies are just like adults. As long as there is milk left in the breasts and they are infected by bacteria, they will develop mastitis. The mammary glands of newborn babies generally secrete a small amount of milk. If parents squeeze the mammary glands excessively to discharge the secretions, it will cause nipple damage and cause bacterial infection, leading to mastitis. Clinically, mastitis caused by squeezing is very common and can occur on one side or both sides. Generally, parents should pay attention when their baby shows symptoms such as red and swollen breasts, crying, and fever.

However, some babies develop mastitis even without compression. When a newborn's breasts become asymmetrically swollen or partially red, hot, or fluctuate when touched, parents should be alert to the possibility of neonatal mastitis and seek medical attention promptly.

It is important to keep your breasts clean and dry

For newborns, breast care, like other care, should not be taken lightly. First of all, you should pay attention to the cleanliness and dryness of your baby's breasts. When cleaning your baby's body, do not deliberately squeeze or scrub the baby's breasts hard.

Secondly, if the baby's nipples become red and swollen, you can gently wipe them with saline in the early stages, or carefully apply 0.5% active iodine to the nipples. However, because the baby's skin is too delicate and has poor resistance, parents should try not to apply medication without authorization. It is best to use the medication according to the doctor's instructions.

Finally, if the redness and swelling expands, the child's temperature rises, or the child refuses to eat, seek medical attention as soon as possible and do not delay the treatment.